Cat Chat Feline Forum

My son has 3 cats. He and his girlfriend lived together for a few years and she left a few weeks ago. 2 weeks after she left, the apartment was conducting a routine check but didn't state what day they were coming so my son had to keep the cat in a crate for the day while he was at work. (Reason, the cat always runs to the door and he was afraid he would get out). The crate was a nice size.
Ever since then, the cat has been pooping aside of the box. He will urinate in the box but not poop. He is eating and drinking and otherwise seems normal.
Not sure if he can sense my son is very stressed and distraught over the girlfriend leaving or if he is being spiteful that he was locked in a crate for a few hours every day for a week.

I ordered "cat attract" for the litter box but it hasn't arrived yet.
Any thoughts?

He has 2 large litter boxes in the apartment. Has not changed litter.

This sounds very much like a stress reaction, both to the emotional upheaval of the girlfriend leaving (he may well be missing her), the emotional stress around a break up (cats are very perceptive to human emotions) and being crated. He needs lots of reassurance right now, to help him recover and come to terms with what’s happened in the household. Your son may feel that reassuring a cat is the last thing he needs right now, but it is probably the most effective way of dealing with the toileting issues, but it may also be a helpful healing process for both of them.

On a practical level, make sure the tray(s) are kept clean as much as possible, get a feliway diffuser in the room this puss uses most, and possibly try some zylkene in his food to help him calm down. Put something easy to clean in front of the litter tray where he poops, (eg newspaper or a bit of floor vinyl) until the problem is resolved. And your son should try not to get cross with the cat about this, tempting as it may seem, it will only make things worse, and the cat’s not happy about this either. It may take a while, but ask him to stick with it. This is a cry from help from this sensitive little cat, and your son is the best person to help him.

Definitely agree with lilynmitz about this being a stressed problem.

The changes that have been made in the household has left your little feline friend stressed out hence he is behaving in this manner.

You can add more litter box and also ensure they are cleaned regularly.

Hope this helps!

Hoping everything gets back to normal for you asap